In Pictures: Pakistan oil spill

1 of 10 The Tasman Spirit lies aground off Karachi. Pakistan authorities say the spill is contained and the damage should not be great

2 of 10 However, environmentalists say the oil spill has already caused widespread harm to wildlife

3 of 10 Pakistani troops are deployed on Karachi's beaches to control onlookers

4 of 10 The authorities began a big clean-up on the beaches on Friday after 12,000 tonnes of crude spilled into the Arabian Sea.

5 of 10 The Tasman Spirit's owners say the light nature of the crude should mean it will evaporate easily

6 of 10 The clean-up drive is being aided by a C-130 aircraft spraying chemicals - but beach clearing in populated areas requires hard labour

7 of 10 Environmentalists say 16 kilometres of the coastline have already been blighted by the spill

8 of 10 The ship originally ran aground on 28 July, but only began leaking oil badly this week

9 of 10 Residents in the Karachi area have complained of nausea and headaches because of the fumes from the crude oil

10 of 10 The authorities say they could not have done more to prevent the disaster and that residents are not in danger